A Guide to Satnavs

For many drivers today a satnav is an integral part of their car, whether it’s built into the vehicle or a portable unit. They help you find the quickest, shortest routes or even those avoiding motorways. Modern satnavs also let you find nearby petrol stations, electric vehicle (EV) charging points, restaurants, hotels and other points of interest.

In this guide we’re going to look at the various types of satnav available on the market, and the pros and cons of each to help you work out which is the best option for you.

Phone satnavs

Most people have a smartphone and these are all installed with a Map App, whether it’s an iOs or Android operating system. You can also download various apps like Google Maps that'll provide you with up to date traffic information and plan routes for you in the car, on foot and via public transport so you can use these on the go as well as in your vehicle.

If you decide to use your mobile phone for a satnav then we advise you turn the notifications off so these don't distract you from the road or interrupt the navigation system. You should also get a holder to put your mobile phone in as it's illegal to hold a mobile whilst driving and looking down at it pulls your attention away from the road.

You can get a number of different types of holders that fit onto your dashboard, windscreen, or air vents to position your phone at a comfortable level that you can easily see while maintaining a view of the road.

Map apps are a great choice if you don’t want to pay for the upgraded spec that's required on some models in order to get the built-in satnav, or don’t want to carry around an additional satnav device.

However, they'll use your mobile data in order to give you directions so will need a strong signal at least when starting the journey. Most also require a strong signal for the majority of the drive in order to provide you with accurate and up to date instructions.

Portable satnav units

The second option is a portable satnav unit.

Just like with a mobile phone, these units offer you the flexibility of a unit that can be used outside of the car as well as in it.

There are portable satnavs that get live traffic, road closure and parking updates like most mobile apps do, and install any necessary software updates over WiFi or via a sim card.

However, there are also satnavs that don't have these live updates or need to connect to your mobile through apps like Garmin Smartphone Link to get the updates.

Some units require plugging in via the 12V socket in order to power or charge them when in the car, and you might need to connect a unit to your PC via USB in order to update software on models without WiFi or a sim card.

There are a number of different models available at various price points so you should be able to find one that’s affordable for you.

The 2 most popular brands of portable satnavs are Garmin and TomTom. You can find these, and other brands, online at Amazon, Halfords and similar retailers.

Unlike a mobile phone, satnavs don't need a strong mobile signal in order to provide you with a route and so can be better if you live in an area of poor signal.

If you use a model that sticks to your windscreen or dashboard and leaves a mark where it was placed, we recommend keeping a cloth in your car to wipe this off, as some thieves take the marks left by suction cups as a sign valuables like satnavs are kept in the vehicle.

We recommend taking your satnav out of the car whenever you aren't using it, for security reasons.

Built-in satnavs

Each car manufacturer has its own multimedia and infotainment systems, including satnav.

The quality of these vary between manufacturers and even between the spec, as some only include live updates on upgraded models.

The benefit of opting for a built-in unit is that you'll always have the satnav in the car and so never be stranded without knowing how to get home.

You don’t get as much choice in the satnav if it's a built-in one, other than whether there are live updates and similar features, and you'll be dependant on the vehicle manufacturer for updates, either over WiFi or having to take it into one of their garages.

What to look for in a satnav

When considering a satnav, there are a few features you’ll want to look for, and we’ve rounded up what we think are the most important:

Initial purchase price
Whether software updates are free or if you'll need to pay for these
Whether it has live traffic updates
How loud the sound alerts and directions are and ease of controlling these
How large the screen size is and how zoomed in the map is
How far in advance of actions it provides directions
How easy the visual prompts that appear on the screen are to understand
If it has speed camera alerts
How quickly it reroutes if you take a wrong turn

Of course, there may be other features that you'll want to look for like whether they give you live parking updates or local places of interest. But the importance of these varies between drivers, which is why we've focused on universal key features and information you'll need to know.